TORONTO, Ont. - The Laurier Golden Hawks earned a valuable road point Thursday night, skating to a 2-1 overtime loss against the TMU Bold in a tightly contested OUA match-up at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.
Both teams were held scoreless through the opening period, with neither side generated momentum on special teams, as the clubs combined for four scoreless power plays in the opening frame.
The breakthrough came late in the second period when Laurier capitalized at even strength. With 1:12 remaining in the frame, Travis Verbeek forced a turnover and found Lucas Chard alone at the top of the crease, where the forward slipped a five-hole shot past the TMU netminder to open the scoring at 18:48.
Laurier protected its 1-0 lead through much of the third period, continuing to keep chances to the outside and blocking shooting lanes. The Golden Hawks were tested by multiple penalty kills, including a too-many-men call midway through the period, but the penalty unit remained perfect on the night.
TMU finally broke through late in regulation. With the goaltender pulled for an extra attacker, Marko Djordjevic buried a chance from the slot off a feed from Joseph Ianniello at 18:34, tying the game and forcing overtime.
Extra time extended nearly five minutes before Djordjevic struck again. The Bold forward capitalized on an unassisted opportunity at 4:47 of overtime, ending the contest and handing TMU the extra point.
Despite the result, Laurier finished the night with a flawless penalty kill, going 4-for-4 while also holding TMU to no goals on six total minutes of power-play time. The Golden Hawks were also unable to convert on four power-play opportunities of their own, with the teams combining to go 0-for-8 with the man advantage.
"It's a true dogfight in this league right now," said head coach and manager of operations Kevin Forrest. "The level of hockey is incredible, and our group is growing together and seeing the rewards of playing the right way."
Game Notes
Chard's goal was his first of the season, while Verbeek recorded the lone assist and continues to pace Laurier's blue line offensively. The Golden Hawks showed continued commitment to a defence-first approach following the break, limiting high-danger chances and earning points in a difficult road environment.
